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Bandits win Stanley Cups

For the first time in franchise history, the Baltimore Bandits are Stanley Cup Champions.

After being down by two goals going into the third period, the Bandits staged a miraculous comeback by scoring three goals, two of which came off the stick of Jordan Leopold on the power-play.

Most importantly, the Bandits shutdown any offense that the Avangard tried to muster, as they limited the Avangard to only three shots in the third period and twenty-one shots in the game.

Bandits forward Rick Nash was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player after putting up 27 points in 26 games. Nash scored 15 goals to lead the league in that department, and added 12 assists. Nash also had a plus 12 rating.

"This was a great selection of the right guy, based on a lot of reasons," said Bandits coach Jack Capuano. "Rick was the heartbeat of our team during these playoffs. He always seemed to come through when neeeded most, and had a way of elevating the play and determination of those around him."

Posted by Commish on Wednesday, June 24 @ 3:14 p.m.

Phantoms secure playoff spot

Sidney Crosby scored the game winner, and Matt Carle scored three points as the Pittsburgh Phantoms secured the final playoff spot in the American Conference with a 4-2 win over the Hartford Whalers. The victory gave the Phantoms eighty-eight points on the season, one more then the Manhattan Warriors who were eliminated from the post-season with the victory by the Phantoms.

"This was obviously an important game for us," said Crosby after the game. "Win and we're in the playoffs. Lose, and we're on the outside looking in."

Also scoring for the Phantoms were Mike Green who had two goals, and Mike Van Ryn with his fifth goal of the season.

Fans of the Phantoms had reason to be very proud of their club tonight, as the team showed the kind of intensity and determination that may cary them far in the playoffs. The Phantoms outshot the Whalers 44-17 in the game, while allowing the Whalers only four shots on goal in the first and third periods.

Pittsburgh will now face the increcibly talented Purple Aces in the first round of the playoffs. However, if there is any club that could take down the mighty Purple Aces, it would be Sidney Crosby and his Phantoms.

Posted by Commish on Wednesday, April 1 @ 8:34 p.m.

Elliott earns shutout versus Wildcats

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Brian Elliott made 21 saves this afternoon for his third shutout of the season and the Jets went on to defeat the Saskatoon Wildcats 3-0

Andy McDonald, Zbynek Michalek and Rich Peverley scored for the Jets who now sit eighth overall in the Canadian Conference having won two games in a row.

Although Elliott was not required to make any spectacular saves the entire game, he was steady in goal by covering up a loose pucks around the net, and knocking away those he couldn't cover.

"It feels great to be in the playoff picture at this time," said Elliott after the game. "We've played some decent hockey over out last ten games or so, and will need to continue to do so if we want to make the playoffs this season."

The Wildcats on the other hand seemed to have lost their way somewhat. After leading the Canadian Conference for the majority of the first half of the season, the team now finds itself in fourth place overall in the Conference.

Winnipeg will are right back at it tomorrow when they face the Montreal Barracudas in Montreal, while the Wildcats will try to rediscover their winning touch with a game against the Omsk Avangard on Thursday.

Posted by Commish on Sunday, January 18 @ 4:20 p.m.

Storm General Manager steps down

Summerside Storm General Manager Daniel Cairns has stepped aside from the running of the team citing personal reasons. Ownership will now be charged with finding a new General Manager for the franchise who will be able to continue the great work that Carins started.

The Storm currently sit fifth overall in the Canadian Conference, with the potential and talent to win the teams first every championship.

In related news. The league has removed Quebec Remparts General Manager Gary Henderson from the running of the organization. Henderson has been absent the entire season, leaving the club without any true direction or leadership. An extensive search will begin for a General Manager who will be able to build on some of the assembled talent within the organization.

Posted by Commish on Saturday, January 17 @ 10:02 a.m.

Hitmen serve Ice Dragons first loss of season

The Calgary Hitmen gave the Yellowknife Ice Dragons their first loss of the season thanks to a shootout goal from forward Dave Bolland.

The Hitmen found themselves down by two goals at the end of the second period, while also being outshot 24-11 at that point. Yet, the team that came out in the third period was a very different one that played the first two periods of hockey. The Hitmen were just as agressive as the Ice Dragons, and had just as many chances on goal.

Lucky for the Hitmen, that veteran goalie Roberto Luongo was given the night off in favor of Antero Niitymaki. That move was a deciding factor as it allowed the Hitmen to come back and score two goals in the third period, which tied the game up at 4-4 at the end of the third.

Overtime solved nothing, Then in the shootout, Dave Bolland flipped a nice backhand goal over the blocker of Niittymaki.

"We haven't played all that well to this point in the season," said Bolland. "Even though we struggled in the early going of this game, we found some offensive punch in the third and manged to win it. It's a great feeling beating one of the best teams in the league."

Up next for the Hitmen is a contest against the Wildcats on Tuesday night, while the Ice Dragons are right back at it again with a game against the Gladiators tomorrow evening. A game in which Roberto Luongo is sure to be back between the pipes.

Posted by Commish on Sunday, August 3 @ 9:57 p.m.

Warriors edge out Bandits with 6-5 victory

Despite some very shaky goaltending from Warriors goalie Antti Niemi, the Manhattan Warriors were able to come away with a 6-5 victory tonight against the Baltimore Bandits.

With thirty-seven shots on Bandits goalie Cristobal Huet, one would think that game would be a walk in the park for the Warriors, yet because of some terrible goaltending by Warriors goalie Antti Niemi who allowed five goals on fifteen shots, the game was a much closer one than it needed to be.

Thankfully for the Warriors, they had a secret weapon in the form of thirty-nine year old Jaromir Jagr who scored a goal and set up two others, giving him three points on the night and five on the season.

"It felt nice to contribute on the score sheet, and help the team win," said Jagr after the game. " "We sure didn't help ourselves with the play in from of Antti, but the win is all that really counts after sixty minutes."

The Warriors and Bandits are right back at it tomorrow when the home-and-home series heads back to Manhattan.